The Use Of Gold In Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are reliable power sources for various space and military applications, and are currently being created for a variety of uses, including vehicles and other applications. The cost of using gold in fuel cells is not yet effective enough to allow it to be mass marketed, but research is in the works. Carbon supported gold alloy catalysts are being studied as a replacement for platinum pieces within the fuel cells, and there are other gold catalysts that produce hydrogen instead of carbon, which reduces emissions in any use.
Fuel cells are a great use that is much better than conventional generators for many different reasons. They are quiet, pollution free, and much more efficient. These fuel cells work by using a series of plates to conduct electricity and generate power. The corrosiveness of these plates and contact resistance is deferred by a thin layer of conductive gold being placed between the plates to make the cell more efficient and less prone to damages.
Platinum has long been used in fuel cells but is cost-inhibitive as it is so rare, leaving fuel cells for use only by the military, NASA, and other groups that can afford the expense. However, by replacing the platinum with gold catalysts in fuel cells, it will eventually become a more cost-effective product that can finally be mass marketed.
Gold will also reduce the costs in fuel cells that produce hydrogen, because the current process is very expensive to manufacture and use. Generally, the fuel cell systems consist of a hydrocarbon reforming stage, which is then followed by a shift reaction of water and gas, which creates gas mixtures that are rich in hydrogen and therefore less damaging to the environment and the vehicle itself. Fuel cells that use gold and are hydrogen based will likely be more cost effective than those which are carbon based. Also, they are more likely to be mass marketed because they don’t contain the harmful effects that carbon can have on the engines, as well as the environment.
Fuel cells are becoming a great topic of research and development as a way to make more vehicles and industries more efficient than a traditional engine might. These cells run quietly and more emission-friendly, which makes them a great choice for our “green” friendly society that has developed in the past few years. Gold is attributing to the success of fuel cells by offering its benefits at a reduced cost when compared to other materials that have been used in previous fuel cell manufacturing.
The many manufacturing uses of gold make it a much more stable and valuable investment.